There's a new 360-degree action cam on the block with some serious upgrades
Photo: Insta360 Insta360 has unveiled its latest flagship 360-degree action camera, the X5. Compared to its predecessor, the X5 promises improvements across the board with a larger sensor, better low-light performance and some upgraded durability features. Insta360 increased the size of the twin sensors (one for each lens) on the X5 by 144%. The larger Type 1/1.28 (9.8x7.3mm) sensors should boost overall image quality and provide better results in darker conditions. Beyond that, the camera uses what Insta360 calls a "Triple AI Chip" system to improve image quality even more. That system comprises two image processors for handling noise reduction and processing and an "AI chip" that the company says handles additional processing. Image: Insta360 Low-light performance is clearly a focus for Insta360 with the new camera. After all, many of the pre-release promo videos featured footage taken at night, and the above updates aim to help with low-light shooting. Insta360 is bringing PureVideo to its 360 lineup for the first time to address the camera's usefulness in dark conditions even more. The mode, which is already found on the Ace lineup of cameras, uses AI noise reduction, presumably more than what's happening in other modes, promising better low-light performance. The update to the sensor and processing hasn't impacted the video resolution, though. Like the X4, the X5 can record 8K 30p video that is oversampled from 11K. Insta360 did upgrade the capabilities of its Active HDR mode, though, now allowing 5.7K 60p, whereas the X4 topped out at 30p in that mode. Insta360 also aims to make it easier to share your content with the X5. While the flexibility of editing 360° videos is nice at times, it makes sharing your work more challenging. A new setting called InstaFrame enables instant sharing by producing two files: an instantly shareable flat video and a full 360° video. The flat file doesn't require any reframing or editing, though you do have to choose between a "fixed view that follows a constant direction or a selfie view that keeps you in frame throughout." Image: Insta360 The X5 also sees upgrades to its build quality. Because the camera's lenses are so bulbous, they are relatively easy to scratch or damage. Previous models offered lens guards to protect against that, though many have reported that image quality suffered quite a bit when using those. So, Insta360 opted for "new, high-strength, scratch-resistant glass" on the X5 to help prevent damage without adding anything extra to the lens. Should the lenses get marked up or shattered, the company has made it easier to replace them. You won't need to send it in for repairs, putting the camera out of commission for a time. Instead, the Replacement Lens Kit makes it easy and fast to swap out on the go. Of course, that means you need to have one on you at all times. Also, while Insta360 hasn't said what the Replacement Lens Kit will cost, we wouldn't be surprised if it's more than the $35 premium lens guards for the X4. Photo: Insta360 Insta360 introduced other build upgrades, too. It says it improved the built-in wind guard and audio algorithm, promising to reduce wind noise and improve overall sound quality. The battery life should be better, too. Insta360 says it will support up to 185 minutes of recording at 5.7K in the power-saving Endurance Mode. That's a healthy bump from the 135 minutes of promised recording on the X4. The X5 boasts an IP68 rating, which is slightly improved from the X4's IPX8 rating. Insta360 says you can swim with it down to 15m (49') without dive housing, 5m (16') deeper than the X4. The Insta360 X5 is available for purchase as of April 22 for $550, which is $50 more than the X4 when it launched a year ago. Press release: Insta360 Unveils X5: The Smartest, Toughest 360° Camera Ever Made Insta360, the world’s best-selling 360° camera brand, is thrilled to announce Insta360 X5, its latest flagship camera. Combining groundbreaking image quality, rugged durability, and AI-powered ease of use, X5 sets a new benchmark for what 360° cameras can achieve. X5's larger 1/1.28" sensors and lightning-fast Triple AI Chip system deliver a dramatic leap in image quality across all resolutions, including stunning 8K30fps 360° video. With PureVideo, a new AI-powered low-light mode, X5 achieves crisp, cinematic footage in challenging lighting. Built for adventure, this is the toughest 360° camera ever. Its lenses are crafted from a new ultra-durable glass, while a first-of-its-kind replaceable lens system sets a new standard for the industry, allowing you to swap out damaged lenses on the go. Further hardware upgrades like a built-in wind guard, extended 3-hour battery life, and waterproofing to 49ft, make X5 the ultimate companion for active creators. From shooting to sharing, X5 makes 360° creation effortless. The all-new InstaFrame Mode simultaneously captures an auto-framed, ready-to-share flat video

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Photo: Insta360 |
Insta360 has unveiled its latest flagship 360-degree action camera, the X5. Compared to its predecessor, the X5 promises improvements across the board with a larger sensor, better low-light performance and some upgraded durability features.
Insta360 increased the size of the twin sensors (one for each lens) on the X5 by 144%. The larger Type 1/1.28 (9.8x7.3mm) sensors should boost overall image quality and provide better results in darker conditions. Beyond that, the camera uses what Insta360 calls a "Triple AI Chip" system to improve image quality even more. That system comprises two image processors for handling noise reduction and processing and an "AI chip" that the company says handles additional processing.
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Image: Insta360 |
Low-light performance is clearly a focus for Insta360 with the new camera. After all, many of the pre-release promo videos featured footage taken at night, and the above updates aim to help with low-light shooting. Insta360 is bringing PureVideo to its 360 lineup for the first time to address the camera's usefulness in dark conditions even more. The mode, which is already found on the Ace lineup of cameras, uses AI noise reduction, presumably more than what's happening in other modes, promising better low-light performance.
The update to the sensor and processing hasn't impacted the video resolution, though. Like the X4, the X5 can record 8K 30p video that is oversampled from 11K. Insta360 did upgrade the capabilities of its Active HDR mode, though, now allowing 5.7K 60p, whereas the X4 topped out at 30p in that mode.
Insta360 also aims to make it easier to share your content with the X5. While the flexibility of editing 360° videos is nice at times, it makes sharing your work more challenging. A new setting called InstaFrame enables instant sharing by producing two files: an instantly shareable flat video and a full 360° video. The flat file doesn't require any reframing or editing, though you do have to choose between a "fixed view that follows a constant direction or a selfie view that keeps you in frame throughout."
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Image: Insta360 |
The X5 also sees upgrades to its build quality. Because the camera's lenses are so bulbous, they are relatively easy to scratch or damage. Previous models offered lens guards to protect against that, though many have reported that image quality suffered quite a bit when using those. So, Insta360 opted for "new, high-strength, scratch-resistant glass" on the X5 to help prevent damage without adding anything extra to the lens.
Should the lenses get marked up or shattered, the company has made it easier to replace them. You won't need to send it in for repairs, putting the camera out of commission for a time. Instead, the Replacement Lens Kit makes it easy and fast to swap out on the go. Of course, that means you need to have one on you at all times. Also, while Insta360 hasn't said what the Replacement Lens Kit will cost, we wouldn't be surprised if it's more than the $35 premium lens guards for the X4.
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Photo: Insta360 |
Insta360 introduced other build upgrades, too. It says it improved the built-in wind guard and audio algorithm, promising to reduce wind noise and improve overall sound quality. The battery life should be better, too. Insta360 says it will support up to 185 minutes of recording at 5.7K in the power-saving Endurance Mode. That's a healthy bump from the 135 minutes of promised recording on the X4. The X5 boasts an IP68 rating, which is slightly improved from the X4's IPX8 rating. Insta360 says you can swim with it down to 15m (49') without dive housing, 5m (16') deeper than the X4.
The Insta360 X5 is available for purchase as of April 22 for $550, which is $50 more than the X4 when it launched a year ago.
Press release:
Insta360 Unveils X5: The Smartest, Toughest 360° Camera Ever Made
Insta360, the world’s best-selling 360° camera brand, is thrilled to announce Insta360 X5, its latest flagship camera. Combining groundbreaking image quality, rugged durability, and AI-powered ease of use, X5 sets a new benchmark for what 360° cameras can achieve.
X5's larger 1/1.28" sensors and lightning-fast Triple AI Chip system deliver a dramatic leap in image quality across all resolutions, including stunning 8K30fps 360° video. With PureVideo, a new AI-powered low-light mode, X5 achieves crisp, cinematic footage in challenging lighting.
Built for adventure, this is the toughest 360° camera ever. Its lenses are crafted from a new ultra-durable glass, while a first-of-its-kind replaceable lens system sets a new standard for the industry, allowing you to swap out damaged lenses on the go. Further hardware upgrades like a built-in wind guard, extended 3-hour battery life, and waterproofing to 49ft, make X5 the ultimate companion for active creators.
From shooting to sharing, X5 makes 360° creation effortless. The all-new InstaFrame Mode simultaneously captures an auto-framed, ready-to-share flat video and a full 360° video to fine-tune later. The Insta360 app has undergone a transformation with more intuitive editing tools, and X5 pairs with the Insta360+ cloud service, where you can instantly share 360º clips, edit on the cloud, and more.
"X5 redefines 360° cameras by solving creators' real challenges," said JK Liu, Insta360's Founder. "From replaceable lenses to AI-powered low-light shooting, we've built our dream camera—rugged enough for adventure, capable enough to produce high quality footage, and intelligent enough to capture epic moments effortlessly."
Insta360 X5 is available to order from April 22, 2025, via the Insta360 Official Store, Amazon, and select retailers, priced at US$549.99.
Insta360 is also hosting a pop-up event in NYC on April 22, offering attendees the opportunity to experience X5 firsthand through interactive demos, meet special guests, and receive exclusive merch.
Unmatched Image Quality, Day and Night
X5's 8K30fps 360° video looks better than ever, with supersampling from 11K to 8K resulting in minimal loss to image quality for true-to-life shots. But resolution is just part of what determines image quality.
X5's 1/1.28" sensors are 144% larger compared to X4's, meaning they capture far more light. The Triple AI Chip system, made up of one 5nm AI Chip and two Pro Imaging Chips, works wonders to reduce noise for clean, uncompressed images in any conditions. With 140% more computing power, every moment—whether on thrilling rides, underwater adventures, or the trip of a lifetime—becomes clearer, brighter, and more vivid.
Low light capture gets an additional boost with a dedicated mode: PureVideo. Advanced AI noise reduction and dynamic range optimization deliver clear, vibrant footage in low light, perfect for capturing your late-night city explorations, motorcycle rides, and more. Meanwhile, Active HDR has been upgraded to 5.7K60fps for smooth, sharper shots, especially in high-contrast scenes.
360° Capture - Souped Up & Simplified
As the fifth generation, X5 has refined every aspect of 360° capture with incredible results. The beauty of shooting with X5 is that you record everything, everywhere, always. No wondering "Did I frame that right?" or fears of missing an epic moment, just shoot first and choose your angles later, with the invisible selfie stick effect enabling otherwise impossible third-person shots. Ideal for solo creators, travelers, and well... everyone.
But now, there's a new mode that makes all that 360° goodness simpler to achieve than ever before. Meet InstaFrame. Hit record and X5 produces two files. The first is an instantly shareable flat video, no editing or reframing needed. Here you have the choice of a fixed view that follows a constant direction or a selfie view that keeps you in frame throughout. And the best part? At the same time, you'll also record a second clip in full 360° so you’ll never miss life's unexpected moments, from your toddler’s surprise first steps to a dolphin's sudden appearance beside your kayak.
The Toughest 360° Camera Ever
When a lens cracks mid-adventure, most 360° cameras become paperweights—but with X5 you can swap lenses before the ski lift reaches the top of the next run. No worrying about scratches or paying out of pocket for repairs, easily replace damaged lenses on the go with the handy Replacement Lens Kit.
Designed for the klutzes, the cliff-divers, and the 'I-just-dropped-it-again' creators among us, the lenses are also made from a new, high-strength, scratch-resistant glass that makes them far less likely to be damaged in the first place, making X5 a camera you can truly push to the limits.
Elsewhere, X5 has improved in almost every way that an action camera enthusiast could wish for:
- Built-in wind guard and improved audio algorithm - a multi-layer steel mesh Wind Guard silences wind noise, while the boosted algorithm offers sharp, immersive sound.
- Longer lasting, faster-charging battery - A 2400mAh battery supports up to 185 minutes of recording in 5.7K, using the power-saving Endurance Mode. It can also fast charge from 0 to 80% in just 20 minutes, or the time it takes to finish a cup of coffee.
- IP68 waterproofing to 49ft (15m) - go even deeper without a dive housing.
- Magnetic mounting system - allows for quick accessory swaps so you’re always prepared for the next shot.
- FlowState Stabilization + 360° Horizon Lock - still industry-leading for the smoothest shots possible.
- Convenient ways to "hit record" - the new Twist to Shoot feature enables shooting just by twisting a selfie stick back and forth. Other options include Voice Control 2.0, Gesture Control, or pairing with a wireless remote.
The Complete Post-Production Package
The Insta360 app has long been the most sophisticated, user-friendly app for editing 360° content. To coincide with X5's launch, it has undergone a revamp, with a sleeker user interface and new tools that make editing easier than ever.
A one-tap Dewarp button removes fisheye distortion for natural-looking footage, a new option to one-tap export with zero editing or reframing, and more. This is in addition to existing features such as Quick Edit and AI Edit for semi-automatic and automatic editing, Shot Lab with 40+ AI templates, as well as a full, manual editing suite.
Insta360 Studio, the desktop editing software for highest quality exports, is also available completely free, along with the mobile app.
For the best possible Insta360 experience and a smoother workflow, X5 is compatible with Insta360+, a cloud service offering auto file backup, instant sharing of 360° footage, cloud editing and export, and more, making it easier than ever to share your adventures with the world.
Availability
Insta360 X5 is on sale from April 22, 2025, at the Insta360 Official Store, Amazon, and authorized retailers, starting from US$549.99.
For those who can't wait, the new camera is also available to try and buy at Insta360's pop-up event at Grand Central Terminal, starting 9am on April 22.